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Monday, June 24, 2013

I’ll never forget the night in 1946 when disaster and challenge visited our home.

My brother, George, came home from football practice and collapsed with a
temperature of 104 degrees. After an examination, the doctor informed
us it was polio. This was before the days of Dr. Salk, and polio was
well known in Webster Groves, Missouri, having killed and crippled many
children and teenagers.

After the initial crisis passed, the doctor felt duty bound to inform
George of the horrible truth. “I hate to tell you this, son,” he said,
“but the polio has taken such a toll that you’ll probably never walk
again without a limp, and your left arm will be useless.”

George had always envisioned himself as a championship wrestler for
his senior year, after just missing it the season before while he was a
junior. Barely able to speak, George whispered, “Doctor…”

“Yes,” said the doctor leaning over the bed, “what is it, my boy?”

“Go to hell,” said George in a voice filled with determination.

You
see, Mom and Dad taught us that just like you would never let someone
else come into your house with an axe and allow them to break up your
furniture, you should never let a damaging thought come into your mind
and break up your dreams.

The next day the nurse walked into George’s room to find him lying flat on his face on the floor.
“What’s going on in here?” asked the shocked nurse.

“I’m walking,” George calmly replied.

George
refused the use of any braces or even a crutch that was given to him.
Sometimes it would take him 20 minutes just to get out of the chair, but
he refused any offers of aid.

I remember seeing him lift a tennis ball with as much effort as a healthy man would need to lift a 100-pound barbell.

I also remember seeing him, six months later, step out on the mat as captain of the wrestling team. George’s rehabilitation
from the devastating effects of polio was written up all over the state
of Missouri. No one had ever been known to recover so quickly or so
completely from this disease.
The story continues. The next year,
after being named to start for Missouri Valley College in one of the
first football games to be televised locally, George came down with
mononucleosis.

It was my brother Bob who helped reinforce George’s already strong philosophy of never giving up.
The
family was sitting in George’s room at the hospital, watching the game
on TV, when Valley’s quarterback completed a 12-yard pass to the tight
end. Then the announcer said, “And George Schlatter makes the first
catch of the game.”

Shocked, we all looked at the bed to make sure
George was still there. Then we realized what had happened. Bob, who
had made the starting line-up, had worn George’s number so George could
spend the afternoon hearing himself catching six passes and making
countless tackles. Later he said, “If I can do that flat on my back with
a temperature of 103 degrees, just think what I can do when I’m up!”
As he overcame mono, he did it with the lesson Bob taught him that day…there is always a way!
George
was destined to spend the next three falls seasons in the hospital. In
1948, it was after he stepped on a rusty nail. In 1949, it was tonsillitis, just before he was to sing in an audition for Phil Harris, a great orchestra leader and radio comedy
icon. And in 1950, it was third-degree burns over 40 percent of his
body and collapsed lungs. After an explosion had set George’s body on
fire, my brother Alan put the flames out by throwing himself on George.
Alan had saved his brother’s life, but he received serious burns
himself.

Following each challenge, George came back stronger and
surer of his own ability to overcome any obstacle. He had read that if
one looks at the roadblocks, he isn’t looking at the goal.

Armed
with these gifts, he entered the world of show business and
revolutionized television by creating and producing such innovative
shows as Laugh In and The American Comedy Awards. He also won an Emmy
for his production of Sammy Davis Jr.’s 60th Anniversary Celebration
Special.
He had literally been through the furnace and come out of
it with a soul as strong as steel, and he used it to strengthen and
entertain a nation.

Of course, the four of us didn’t always get a
long, but we were brothers through and through, and yet… out of the
conflicts came new respect and even memories about which we would later
laugh.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna
from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.Then after that trauma, we
were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright
colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on
medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes,
we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. As infants &
children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no
seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in
the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared
one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually
died from this.

Because we were always outside
playing...that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all
day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.. No one was
able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours
building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill,
only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a
few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have
Play Stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150
channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out
of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits
from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons,
switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call
child services to report abuse. We ate worm and mud pies made from
dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns
for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many
eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that! The idea
of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They
actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced
some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The
past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We
had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to
deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow
up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of
our lives for our own good.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Monday, I had a near death experience that has changed me forever. I went horseback riding. Everything was going fine until the horse starts bouncing out of control. I tried with all my might to hang on, but was thrown off. Just when things could not possibly get worse, my foot gets caught in the stirrup. When this happened, I fell head first to the ground. My head continued to bounce harder as the horse did not stop or even slow down. Just as I was giving up hope and losing consciousness the Wal-mart manager came and unplugged it.

As I was waiting in line behind an older gentleman at Wendy's recently,
I heard him ask for his senior discount. The girl at the register
apologized and charged him less. When I asked the man what the discount
was, he told me that seniors over age 55 get 10% off everything on the menu, every day. Being of 'that' age myself, I figured I might as well ask for the discount too.
This incident prompted me to do some research, and I came across a list
of restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, travel deals and other
types of offers giving various discounts with different age
requirements. I was actually surprised to see how many there are and
howsome of them start at the young age of 50 . This list may not only be useful for you, but for your friends and family too. Dunkin Donuts gives free coffee to people over 55 . If you're paying for a cup every day, you might want to start getting it for FREE.

TRAVEL:Airlines: Alaska Airlines: 50% off (65+)
American Airlines: various discounts for 50% off non-peak periods
(Tuesdays - Thursdays) (62+)and up (call before booking for discount) Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)Rail: Amtrak: 15% off (62+)Bus: Greyhound: 15% off (62+) Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50+

Car Rental: Alamo Car Rental: up to 25% off for AARP members Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members Budget Rental Cars: 40% off; up to 50% off for AARP members ( 50+) Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off ( 50+) Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members

Monday, June 10, 2013

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building
business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his
extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.
They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter
said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his
work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It
was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When
the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the
house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This
is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a
shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have
done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built
none too well.

So it is with
us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting,
willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not
give the job our best effort.

Then
with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we
are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would
have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think
about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a
wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you
live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously
and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a
do-it-yourself project.” Who could say it more clearly? Your life today
is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life
tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make
today.

1. BHA
... This preservative is used to prevent rancidity in foods that
contain oils. Unfortunately, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) has been
shown to cause cancer i n rats, mice, and hamsters. The reason the
FDA hasn’t banned it is largely technical—the cancers all occurred in
the rodents’ forestomachs, an organ that humans don’t have.
Nevertheless, the study, published in the Japanese Journal of Cancer
Research, concluded that BHA was “reasonably anticipated to be a
carcinogen,” and as far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to
eliminate it from your diet.

2. Parabens These synthetic
preservatives are used to inhibit mold and yeast in food. The problem is
parabens may also disrupt your body’s hormonal balance. A study in Food
Chemical Toxicology found that daily ingestion decreased sperm and
testosterone production in rats, and parabens have been found present in
breast cancer tissues.

3. Partially Hydrogenated Oil I’ve
harped on this before, but it bears repeating: Don’t confuse “0 g trans
fat” with being trans fat-free. The FDA allows products to claim zero
grams of trans fat as long as they have less than half a gram per
serving. That means they can have 0.49 grams per serving and still be
labeled a no-trans-fat food. Considering that two grams is the absolute
most you ought to consume in a day, those fractions can quickly add up.
The telltale sign that your snack is soiled with the stuff? Look for
partially hydrogenated oil on the ingredient statement. If it’s anywhere
on there, then you’re ingesting artery-clogging trans fat.

4. Sodium Nitrite
Nitrites and nitrates are used to inhibit botulism-causing bacteria and
to maintain processed meats’ pink hues, which is why the FDA allows
their use. Unfortunately, once ingested, nitrite can fuse with amino
acids (of which meat is a prime source) to form nitrosamines, powerful
carcinogenic compounds. Ascorbic and erythorbic acids—essentially
vitamin C—have been shown to decrease the risk, and most manufacturers
now add one or both to their products, which has helped. Still, the best
way to reduce risk is to limit your intake.

5. Caramel Coloring
This additive wouldn’t be dangerous if you made it the old-fashioned
way—with water and sugar, on top of a stove. But the food industry
follows a different recipe: They treat sugar with ammonia, which can
produce some nasty carcinogens. How carcinogenic are these compounds? A
Center for Science in the Public Interest report asserted that the high
levels of caramel color found in soda account for roughly 15,000 cancers
in the U.S. annually. Another good reason to scrap soft drinks? They’re
among The 20 Worst Drinks in America.

6. Castoreum
Castoreum is one of the many nebulous “natural ingredients” used to
flavor food. Though it isn’t harmful, it is unsettling. Castoreum is a
substance made from beavers’ castor sacs, or anal scent glands. These
glands produce potent secretions that help the animals mark their
territory in the wild. In the food industry, however, 1,000 pounds of
the unsavory ingredient are used annually to imbue foods—usually vanilla
or raspberry flavored—with a distinctive, musky flavor.

7. Food Dyes
Plenty of fruit-flavored candies and sugary cereals don’t contain a
single gram of produce, but instead rely on artificial dyes and
flavorings to suggest a relationship with nature. Not only do these dyes
allow manufacturers to mask the drab colors of heavily processed foods,
but certain hues have been linked to more serious ailments. A Journal
of Pediatrics study linked Yellow 5 to hyperactivity in children,
Canadian researchers found Yellow 6 and Red 40 to be contaminated with
known carcinogens, and Red 3 is known to cause tumors. The bottom line?
Avoid artificial dyes as much as possible.

8. Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein, used as a flavor enhancer, is plant
protein that has been chemically broken down into amino acids. One of
these acids, glutamic acid, can release free glutamate. When this
glutamate joins with free sodium in your body, they form monosodium
glutamate (MSG), an additive known to cause adverse reactions—headaches,
nausea, and weakness, among others—in sensitive individuals. When MSG
is added to products directly, the FDA requires manufacturers to
disclose its inclusion on the ingredient statement. But when it occurs
as a byproduct of hydrolyzed protein, the FDA allows it to go
unrecognized.

The only downside to these eraser blocks is that they don’t last long.
But that’s a testament to their cleaning power — their tiny pores get
filled with all the gunk that’s hiding in small spaces.

To get more life out of your Magic Erasers, try this:
1. Cut each Magic Eraser into 4 equal-sized pieces (across the shortest
width of the eraser, rather than lengthwise). This way, you get 4 times
the amount of cleaning out of one Eraser! 2. Lightly mist it with
water (by misting or using the kitchen sink sprayer), rather than
saturating it with water — which causes it to shrivel up more. 3.
Scrub lightly with the Magic Eraser, then wipe the area with a wet towel
to prevent smearing the dirt/grime and remove any residue. 4. When
it starts to get yucky (after cleaning a few different items), simply
spray rinse it again to revive it a bit. Then squeeze the excess water
out, and continue using it until it starts to shred.

On a Sunday a family went to picnic with a few drinks in tin cans. Monday,
two family members were admitted to the hospital and placed in Intensive
Care Unit. He died on Wednesday. Autopsy results concluded it was
Leptospirosis. The virus was... stuck to the tin cans and consumed,
without the use of glasses / cups. Test results showed that the tin was
contaminated because mice urinated on them, and then
it dried. The urine contained Leptospira. I Highly recommend to rinse
the parts evenly on all soda cans before drinking it. Cans are usually
stored in the warehouse and delivered direct to retail stores without
cleaning. A study shows that the top of all beverage cans are more
contaminated than public toilets (full of germs and bacteria.)So, clean
it with water before drinking in order to prevent this from occurring.

1. TOP ROUND (AKA London broil) Very lean with mild flavor; dense and slightly chewy. Inexpensive with no fat to trim off, so more meat for your money; even shape makes it easy to slice thin. Marinating will tenderize the meat. Best served rare to medium (overcooking will turn this cut into leather). Must be carved very thin, against the grain. Great cold for sandwiches. "Best Buy"

2. RIB EYE (AKA Delmonico steak) Naturally tender cut cooks up juicy, with a rich flavor of caramelized meat. Can be sold bone-in for rib lovers and for a more dramatic presentation. Lots of marbling makes it self-basting. These steaks are pricey, so look for ones with a large "eye" and less surrounding fat.

3. FILET MIGNON (AKA tenderloin steak) Its mild flavor and tenderness make it the perfect canvas for a starring sauce. Expensive, but unlike other cuts, it doesn't need to be trimmed and doesn't shrink much during cooking. Avoid acidic marinades -- they'll deteriorate the fine grain and make the meat mealy. Best eaten rare to medium. Lean and tender enough to be eaten cold. Skip the steak knife -- it cuts like butter!

4. T-BONE Nothing says "steakhouse" like a T-bone. Great for steak lovers who eat with their eyes first. Combines two contrasting cuts in one sitting -- part of the delicate tenderloin and robust, juicy strip. The bone adds flavor and seals in juices. Perfect for carnivores who feel the meat's just a vehicle for getting to gnaw on the bone.

Checking
out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that
she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good
for the environment.

The woman
apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my
earlier days." The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today.
Your generation did not care enough to save our environment f or future
generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to
the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and
sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.
So they really were truly recycled. But we didn't have the green thing
back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown
paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides
household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers
for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books
provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our
scribbling's. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown
paper bags. But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store
and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb
into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But
she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back
then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway
kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine
burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes
back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their
brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady
is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back
then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room.
And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember
them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the
kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric
machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to
send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not
Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up
an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower
that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go
to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But
she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank
from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a
plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing
pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor
blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because
the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes
to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi
service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of
sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized
gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in
space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it
sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just
because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.

Monday, June 3, 2013

When I was a little child, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner
every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made
breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and
extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if
anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom
and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that
night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and
eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom
apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he
said: “Baby, I love burned biscuits.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your
Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides – a
little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!”

You know, life is full of imperfect things…
and imperfect people. I’m not the best housekeeper or cook. What I’ve learned
over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults – and choosing to
celebrate each other’s differences – is one of the most important keys to
creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. And that’s my prayer for
you today!

1. Picnic at the park 2. Play in a kiddie pool 3. Make smores 4. Homemade pizza party 5. Make pet rocks 6. Have a cousin sleepover 7. Make a lemonade stand 8. Go to a summer matinee 9. Tie dye t-shirts 10. Write your own story 11. Scavenger hunt walk 12. Lunch with dad at work 13. Attend story time at the library 14. Make ice cream in a baggie 15. Visit an IMAX theater 16. Fondue night 17. Catch fireflies or bugs 18. Have a water balloon fight 19. Make journals 20. Go to a parade 21. Make homemade jam 22. Hunt for shapes in the clouds 23. Go to a water splash pad 24. Play Legos 25. Go fishing 26. Build an indoor fort using blankets 27. Go bowling 28. Backyard water games 29. Go to a baseball game 30. Go to the zoo 31. Have a fun summer reading program 32. Family bike ride 33. Catch fireflies 34. Learn to swim or go swimming 35. Make a time capsule 36. Go bird watching 37. Make homemade popsicles 38. Play catch 39. Llearn how to play a new board game 40. Go see a fireworks show 41. Mail a letter to someone special 42. Attend a kids workshop at Home Depot or Lowe’s 43. Outdoor movie night 44. Make 4th of July shirts 45. Learn to hula hoop 46. Play dress up 47. Go to a drive-in movie 48. Bake cookies 49. Fly a kite 50. Go on a road trip 51. Do a fun science project 52. Go camping 53. Make a bird feeder 54. Play hopscotch 55. Make paper airplanes and race 56. Make sail boats and race 57. Set up or make a slip n slide 58. Play mini golf 59. Skip rocks in a river 60. Make smoothies 61. Go to a children’s museum 62. Start a rock collection 63. Plant a garden 64. Have a family talent show 65. Run in the sprinklers 66. Make friendship bracelets 67. Create sidewalk art using chalk 68. Have a yard sale and let the kids help 69. Make homemade bubbles 70. Go to an amusement park 71. Make princess crowns or hero capes 72. Make homemade play dough 73. Do a jigsaw puzzle 74. Have a pillow fight 75. Play mini golf 76. Camping in the backyard 77. Make sand castles at the park or beach 78. Make or go get snow cones 79. Go the the local fair 80. Homemade marshmallow guns 81. Make a video 82. Catch butterflies with nets 83. Make homemade instruments 84. Go horseback riding 85. Decorate cupcakes or cookies 86. Go to an outdoor concert 87. Have a treasure hunt 88. Play Frisbee 89. Make sun catchers 90. Visit a nature center 91. Go to the beach 92. Collect sea shells 93. Go a local farmer’s market 94. Have a puppet show 95. Make root beer floats 96. Have an ice cream party with lots of toppings 97. Make recycled crayons 98. Go to the skate park or a skating rink 99. Favorite movies marathon 100. Make treats for neighbors

Saturday, June 1, 2013

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the
table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a
very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks,
about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into
the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into
the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,”
said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your
partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was
lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

“If
you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room
for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.

If
you
spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have
room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the
things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children.
Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work,
clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
Author Unknown